On the Court House Building
in downtown Portland, Oregon, is a quotation from Martin Luther King, Jr.’s, Letter
from Birmingham Jail, written April 16, 1963, “Injustice anywhere is a
threat to justice everywhere.”Many of
the famous civil rights leader’s statements are immortal.“I have a dream that my four children will
one day live in a nation where they will not be judged by the color of their
skin, but by the content of their character,” from March on Washington
Speech, August 28, 1963.We can
certainly say a hearty “Amen!” to these inspiring words!

In 1983, Congress decreed that
a National Holiday be established in honor of the late civil rights
leader.Nationwide, hundreds of cities
have renamed streets, parks, schools, convention centers, and freeways in honor
of King. Hundreds more plan to do so. In death, Martin Luther King is much more
popular than when he was alive!

Any criticism of King and
his legacy is roundly condemned as being racist, bigoted, and narrow-minded, if
not altogether Neanderthal.However,
like any human being, Martin Luther King, Jr., must be judged by the content of
his character, rather than the color of his skin.Black, white, purple, or polka dot, it is character that matters.

What type of individual was
the late Martin Luther King?Was he a
saint, or a man of questionable character?Was he dedicated to improving the lot of black people, or was he marching
to the beat of a different drum?What
motivated him?What was his educational
background?Who was behind him?Who financed him?

What was King’s personal
philosophy? Was his personal life exemplary, befitting a preacher of the
gospel? Or did King have what J. Edgar Hoover described as “the morals of a tom
cat”?Why were so many of King’s top
associates Communist party members? Why did King preach a Marxist/Leninist
“social gospel” of salvation by works and political manipulation?

Des Griffin’s book, Martin
Luther King: The Man Behind The Myth, documents details about King’s
life and death, as well as his protégé, Jesse Jackson.Ask for order code E-124, $7.00, from: Emissary
Publications, 9205 SE Clackamas Road, Box 1776, Clackamas, OR 97015,
telephone: (503) 824-2050.Additional
information, pro and con, can be found on the Internet.A pro site is www.stanford.edu/group/King/,
and a con site is www.martinlutherking.org.